Lake Gerar and Silver Lake are sick. The water quality is poor and the banks suffer from erosion, but Rehoboth Beach officials are working to improve the health of both lakes. The city submitted two grant applications for the lakes to the Delaware Coastal Program. The applications outline testing, public education projects, controls for resident waterfowl populations and methods to reduce nonpoint source pollution. Nonpoint source pollution includes runoff from streets and lawns and can include anti-freeze, oil and fertilizers. The Delaware Coastal Program should make its final decision before Jan. 1.
“Preliminary indications show Lake Gerar is a likely candidate for at least a portion of their grant request,” said Sarah Cooksey, administrator of Delaware Coastal Program. “Which means it’s a very strong program. The nonpoint source grant has $111,000 to award and has received requests for $396,000.” Both freshwater lakes collect storm water from surrounding areas. The runoff often carries fertilizers and other pollutants which can load the shallow waters with nutrients.
Most storm drains on the north side of Rehoboth Avenue feed into Lake Gerar without passing through filters. Redirecting the storm drains would be expensive, but the Lake Gerar grant application suggests several other practices that could reduce the amount of pollutants. Suggestions include providing educational materials on proper lawn care and stenciling signs on storm drains like, “Dump no waste—drains to Lake Gerar.” Structural solutions could include inserting separators, filtration devices or catch basins into the storm drain system. The city is already installing filters into the storm drains on Lake and Columbia Avenue to separate pollutants from rain water.
Both applications call for studies to identify the exact nature of problems facing the lakes and extensive education programs.
Silver Lake would be a two-year project with an estimated cost of $43,132 and Lake Gerar would be a three-year project costing $111,500. The grant applications request $20,000 for Silver Lake and $52,000 for Lake Gerar.
The Silver Lake project primarily calls for a study to reveal the lake’s problems. Lake Gerar’s problems are more obvious, said William Bell, project coordinator for First State Resource Conservation and Development Council Inc. which provided technical assistance in developing the projects for the city. Gerar’s growing waterfowl population is one of those problems. One of the project’s goal’s is to reduce, control and monitor the resident waterfowl population.
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